This story is sponsored by: Chips Hamburgers of Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Marshfield Columbus Catholic senior pitcher/first baseman Hailey Zimmermann was named the Player of the Year and was one of eight Dons to earn spots on the 2023 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Softball Team, as voted on by the seven conference coaches following the regular season.
Zimmermann went 7-1 with a 0.19 ERA as she allowed just one earned run (six total) in 36 innings pitched, while striking out 50 as Columbus Catholic went 11-1 and tied Neillsville for the Cloverbelt East championship. She also hit .379 with four doubles, a home run and 13 RBI.
Zimmermann was joined on the 10-player first team by teammates Cierra Dieringer, Akosua Yeboah and Sam Casperson.
Dieringer batted .500 with 14 RBI, Yeboah led the team with a .533 average and added 18 runs scored and 17 RBI, while Casperson had a team-high 20 runs scored, drove in 12 and hit .433.
Gilman’s Tatum Weir and Danielle Mann, Mya Rueth of Loyal/Greenwood, and Neillsville’s Delaney Rochester, Amelia Trunkel and Ella King round out the first-team selections.
Freshman Shelby Spata and junior Mattea Schlafke were second-team honorees for Columbus. Spata was left off the first team despite batting .531 with four doubles, a home run, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored. Schlafke hit .448 with nine RBI.
Katelyn Casperson and Rhya Dieringer were honorable mention selections for Columbus. Casperson, also a freshman, hit .444 with 13 runs scored, while Dieringer hit .357, drove in 12 and scored 13 times.
Spencer had two all-conference picks as senior Samantha Soback was a second-team selection and freshman Ema Schultz was named honorable mention.
2023 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Softball Team
First team: Hailey Zimmermann, sr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Cierra Dieringer, sr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Akosua Yeboah, so., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Sam Casperson, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Tatum Weir, sr., Gilman; Danielle Mann, jr., Gilman; Mya Rueth, jr., Loyal/Greenwood; Delaney Rochester, sr., Neillsville; Amelia Trunkel, sr., Neillsville; Ella King, sr., Neillsville.
Second team: Tatum Bargender, so., Colby/Abbotsford; Shelby Spata, fr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Mattea Schlafke, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Abby Chaplinski, so., Gilman; Tysen Lindner, so., Loyal/Greenwood; Aspen Hagen, sr., Loyal/Greenwood; Calle Mohr, sr., Neillsville; Abby Mathis, sr., Neillsville; Sidney Halida, sr., Owen-Withee; Samantha Soback, sr., Spencer.
Honorable mention: Harrison Schmitt, so., Colby/Abbotsford; Katelyn Casperson, fr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Rhya Dieringer, so., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Kenlyn Kroeplin, so., Gilman; Kayleigh James, so., Gilman; Tiffany Mitte, jr., Loyal/Greenwood; Marie Jorgenson, sr., Neillsville; Lainey Horn, sr., Neillsville; Reina Arndt, jr., Owen-Withee; Ema Schultz, fr., Spencer.
Player of the Year: Hailey Zimmermann, Marshfield Columbus Catholic.